292 Moving Images: Making Movies, Understanding MediaThe Roles of the Producer
As their title tells us, motion picture producers are
responsible for making sure that the movie gets made—
that it is produced. Th ey are present from the beginning of
the project to the end. What do producers do? When you
created schedules for your shoots, managed money (such
as paying for supplies or food), and made administrative
decisions about a motion picture, you did the work that
is done or supervised by a producer. You functioned as a
producer! While the director is the person responsible for
overseeing the artistic decisions in making a movie, the
producer is responsible for the fi nancial and administrative
oversight of a project from start to fi nish. When you do
both of these things, you are producer and director (and
you were most likely the writer as well).
Essentially, producers must ensure that the production
moves from the very fi rst step of creation through each
successive stage until the motion picture is actually
being shown to an audience. Producers are the resource
managers of a motion picture, and they assume professional
responsibility for the completion of the project with the
fi lm studio or fi nancing group for the project. Aft er having
overseen the fi nancing arrangements for the project,
they must supervise hiring of personnel, coordinate
all phases of production, and secure distribution deals.
Sometimes they are closely involved with the decisions
of the creative team of a movie, while at other times
they occupy themselves primarily with the logistics
of budget and personnel. Th is can depend quite a bit
on the national traditions of a fi lm industry and corporate practices. In
some situations, producers may exercise little creative control during the
production process.
On a professionally produced movie, if a writer or director is personally
responsible for the actual conception of a project, he or she will earn one of
the producer credits. Sometimes you will see fi lmmakers who take on multiple
roles, such as writer, director, and producer. When directors strive to generate
their own projects, they take on signifi cant roles as producers, like Spike Lee,
Robert Rodriguez, Th e Coen Brothers, and M. Night Shyamalan. In television,
J. J. Abrams, the creator of Alias and Lost, has worked extensively as a producer
while also building a career as a writer and director of feature fi lms.
Th ere are many professionals in the fi lm industry who work specifi cally
as producers. Scott Rudin, Kathleen Kennedy, Brian Grazer, Stacey Sher,
and Ross Katz all work as producers for feature fi lms or television series.
Sometimes a producer is the originator of the central concept for a project,
while at other times writers and directors will work to convince producersFigure 8-4 Actor Roy Scheider, producer
Richard Zanuck, and director Steven
Spielberg on the set of Jaws. Zanuck and
fellow producer Richard Brown bought
the rights to Peter Benchley’s novel Jaws
in 1973, and they hired director Steven
Spielberg to direct the movie after fi ring
Dick Richards, their original choice as
director. (Courtesy Universal/Photofest)Copyright 2010 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be copied, scanned, or duplicated, in whole or in part. Due to electronic rights, some third party content may be suppressed from the eBook and/or eChapter(s).